It is an important characteristic of a tomato to have as long a storage period or shelf life as possible to allow as much time as possible for shipment and merchandising. In the past, however, tomatoes developed for long shelf life did not retain excellent tomato-like taste and firmness during the entire storage period and many did not develop a full red color. An example of such a prior art tomato claimed to have long shelf life properties is Burpee's Long Keeper. This variety does not develop a full red color nor does it maintain excellent tomato-like taste during the storage period.